The Handling of Unruly Airline Passengers
Is it right to tape someone to an airline seat? Most people I ask immediately say, "Yes!" They remind me that there are rules on planes, and people must comply. With my strong aviation background and the memory of 9/11, I understand entirely and in no way side with anyone who has misbehaved on a flight, but the images of people taped to seats don't sit well with me. A better solution is something that deserves more thought.
Unfortunately, incidences of unruly airline passengers are way up. In 2019 the FAA had fewer than 150 bad behavior investigations. This year, there have been 2,666. Many of these go well beyond refusing to wear a mask. People are smoking and getting into fistfights, flight attendants are being shoved, groped, and have trash thrown at them. People are vandalizing planes and attempting to open cabin doors while in flight. None of this is even close to acceptable behavior, but it is on the rise nonetheless.
Why? Some point to people adjusting to life again after the COVID-19 lock-downs, and others acknowledge the high level of stress passengers are under navigating things like delayed and canceled flights. I'm sure all of this plays a role, but I don't see things getting any better in the future. I am afraid this is our new normal. People are on edge, which will only escalate the situation.
One solution is to stop serving alcohol. Alcohol isn't anything new on airlines which makes me think it isn't the case. It also brings in millions of much-needed revenue for struggling airlines. Southwest and American have already backed away from plans not to serve alcohol on flights. Also, taking away the one thing many responsible people use to relax could worsen things.
Seeing a person taped to a seat while the rest of the plane cheers is not a good look for the airline. Neither is having the crew and other passengers harmed by an out-of-control individual. From my understanding, these people are not trying to overtake the airplane, like on 9/11. They are just idiots. Tragedy could still result from their bad day, which means they cannot simply continue, but they still shouldn't be taped to a seat.
For those who have read this far, I'm sure are wondering what I propose as a solution. I've thought of a type of thunder blanket to calm people down, and I've even given some thought to the pilot abruptly changing altitude to give people a new emotion. But, unfortunately, the first wouldn't work in every situation, and the second is irresponsible. We've moved so far away from seeing the passenger as a customer that airlines have become a Thunderdome of sorts. Many of us try and keep our heads down, hoping we get to our destination, but others simply lose it.
Instead of dealing with this new situation with tape and plastic wrap, we need to put more thought into the cause.
